- Username
- Lalilolou
- Date posted
- 1y ago
Real Event Fear
Does anyone else struggle with being publicly shamed and cancelled for your mistakes in the future? It feels so intolerable for me and it’s my biggest fear. Does anyone have any advice?
Does anyone else struggle with being publicly shamed and cancelled for your mistakes in the future? It feels so intolerable for me and it’s my biggest fear. Does anyone have any advice?
Yes indeed. I am sorry you are dealing with this - and I can empathize with you. With ERP therapy and lots of practice I have learned how to live with the intrusive thoughts. Not knowing where you are in your ERP journey I will give you an example of how I might handle your situation. If this seems like it is too difficult then don’t do it - I am in recovery but I want to respect the fact that not everyone is there and so I offer my suggestion only. When I get the intrusive thought that I am going ti be humiliated and shamed for something that has happened in my past, I acknowledge the thought as intrusive and then I go into response prevention mode. I might say something like well that’s interesting or thanks for nothing ocd. Or I will agree with the thought and say yes this could definitely happen but all I have is this moment and guess what it is not happening in this moment so I am going ti live my life and IF you are right ocd I will need only deal with it then. Until then I live in the present moment because that is all that I have. Again, this is not easy and I have gotten there with a lot of practice l, but it works. Does the anxiety disappear - nope. What has changed is my response - the anxiety is still there it is just that I don’t give it the weight it once had. I hope this helps you.
@Jeffrey Yes it does thank you! Will the anxiety go away the more you practice that?
@Lalilolou I read your bio and my trigger for OCD was exactly the same😭 how long did it take you to recover?
@Lalilolou It doesn’t necessarily go away but it is more manageable.
@Jeffrey Good to know thank you!
I can definitely see how this could be triggering. Remember that these fears are just like any other OCD thought. OCD is working to get your attention. It plays to what it knows will scare you. Say something back to the thought like, “maybe I will be publicly shamed, maybe I won’t. Maybe I will get publicly cancelled, maybe I won’t. Worrying about it won’t help me figure it out.” Sitting in this uncertainty will help ease the power of OCD. This is a great article with some helpful info :) https://www.turningpointpsychology.ca/blog/real-event-ocd?format=amp
@adelinesdragon Thank you😭 it just feels like if that happens my life will be over Ans it will make my worst fears come true😭
Yea I feel like cancel culture is a big trigger for me
Yup….
Hi there! Does anyone else experience real event OCD? My days lately are filled with (sometimes) crippling guilt and shame over real things that have happened in the past. These are all things that are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. I’ve talked to friends/family/therapists about them and I’m reassured they aren’t “that bad” but my mind can’t seem to let them go. Anyone else dealing with this? Any tips for forward progress? Much love to you all. ❤️
I’m obsessing over every past bad decision or every stupid thing I did as a kid or teenager. I have this terrifying fear that mistakes are going to come back and haunt me and ruin my life. Anyone have any encouraging words?
I know this is such a typical OCD thought, but I really feel mine is. Without going into too much detail feel like I basically SA'd my ex without meaning to and got away with it. I feel like I need to confess to everyone, including ny current gf, but I'm worried people will never look at me the same again. I'm trying so hard with ERP but I feel like I'm just using it to avoid confronting what I've done. I feel like I'm going to get cancelled or thrown in jail and my life is going to fall apart. I feel so guilty and sorry. I want to be a good person.
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond